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this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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Nobody said we had to like him to vote for him.
I know some people that certainly seem to think I have to like him to vote for him. They genuinely think I'm going to sit out an election that could have a wannabe dictator on the ballot.
You know who thinks we have to idolize a guy to let him run our country? Russians and bots made by Russians... it's literally all they've ever known. After that, people who fall for propaganda.
This guy is an irl friend of an irl friend. He gets absolutely mental if you post a quote or news article about something Biden did that unpopular. Recently, I posted about how I'm depressed about the next election and he went into a spiel about how it's our civic duty to vote and how Biden is the only thing keeping use from falling into a dictatorship. I mean, sure, but I'm still depressed that he's our best option. Honestly, the way he talks about Biden reminds me of Trump supporters. Ever hear someone call Biden "Uncle Joe" unironically?
Millions are supposed to swallow their Principles and vote for this one man, when the by far simplest, easiest solution to "keep Trump out" is for this single man to change his actions.
Clearly for Joe Biden keeping Trump out is secondary to "I should be able to do whatever I want", the very opposite of "I am but the elected representative of the will of the voters".
If you think democracy has ever been about the principles of millions, you're missing its point.
The theory of Representative Democracy is for those elected to represent those who voted for them.
However the reality is indeed different, the less democratic the country the worse. I'm just pointing out the US is already de facto way down towards the Dictatorship side of things when the current POTUS prefers to keep materially supporting a racist genocidal massacre over doing what millions of those who voted for him demand as a question of Principle (we're not talking about disagreements over what to do for the Economy here, we're talking about outright support with bombs to those committing what is already the largest genocide of the century).
I wonder if there trully is any significant distance between Biden and Trump in terms of democratic principles. Maybe their loudness and the openness of the methods they use to subvert Democracy is their main difference in this, not their spirit as (non-)representatives of their voters, since they both behave as masters whose will is more important than everything else including some of the most important things for those who elected them: they behave as kings or dictators, not as elected representatives.
You tipped your hand there.
There are way more political positions in genuinelly Democratic countries than merelly 2.
If you assume that if I'm not for #A then I must be for #B, then you're just betraying your profound ignorance of Politics under Democracy.
“I wonder if there trully is any significant distance between Biden and Trump in terms of democratic principles.”
Are you serious? What a completely naive and ignorant take. Gee, I wonder if there’s much difference between Biden and a man who LITERALLY tried to overthrow the government and has stated, quite clearly, his desire to be a dictator.
I don’t understand your “logic” at all here.
When in a Circus, the out of control clown might be the one getting your attention but its the quiet pickpockets working the crowd that are doing most of the damage.
Trump and Biden both couldn't care less about the what the people who voted for them want, it's just that one is a loudmouth and uses overt means to try to subvert Democracy whilst the other one is quieter and does his subversion of Democracy via campaign contributions, appeals to negative vote, not fullfilling that which he promises in the campaign trail undemocratic primaries and so on.
Ultimatelly in both cases those who vote for either of them end up not being represented at all.
One could say that Trump-style subversion of Democracy has actually been less successful that the style practiced by Biden, mainly because Trump is so spectacularly incompetent. In fact plenty of less loud and more sneaky Republicans who practice the same style as Biden are probably much more dangerous.
Whilst I myself would also tend to see Trump as the most dangerous, in light of just how confident Biden is that he can do whatever he wants without being punished by voters, I'm starting to ponder on "what does he know which I don't" and if I and most people haven't been foolled into seeing the loudmouth as much more dangerous when the quiet one is also dangerous.
Granted, I'm an outsider, don't even live in the US, and don't really have to make a choice between swallowing my principles and vote for the quieter Nazi-lover to keep out the loud Nazi-lover or not vote at all.
The closest I've been to that situation was when I lived in the UK, were I ended up joining the Greenparty - even though I could only vote in Local and EU elections and it's a very small party - and just helped them out with campaigning.